Colin Kaepernick says he wants to play in the NFL and players on one team reportedly want him to replace their starter

Colin Kaepernick’s continued unemployment was the biggest story of the NFL offseason, and now two weeks into the new football year, his name is still a constant topic of conversation.

In addition to his visible on-field protests last year and his activism outside of football, one of the biggest reasons Kaepernick’s name is still apart of the conversation is uneven quarterback play from across the league.

For his part, Kaepernick is reportedly ready, willing, and able to answer the call should any NFL team look his way. According to writer and commenter Shaun King, when asked if he wanted to play football, Kap said, “I’m ready right now. Working out daily.”

With Kaepernick ready to play, all he needs to complete his comeback and instantly become the top-selling jersey in the league is a team in need of a quarterback, and apparently some players are already hoping for him to swoop in and help salvage a dismal start to the season.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there are players in the Bengals’ locker room rooting for Kaepernick to come in to take over for starter Andy Dalton, rather than pivoting to backup A.J. McCarron if the team is looking for a quarterback change.

The team insists that quarterback Andy Dalton is safe. But the feeling within the locker room, we’re told, is that the leash isn’t quite so long, and that if the struggles continue under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, the next one to go could be Dalton.

This means that A.J. McCarron would take over, if Dalton is indeed benched. But there’s a feeling among some of the players that the Bengals should go off the board and consider bringing in Colin Kaepernick.

Florio goes on to note that there is not yet any indication from the Bengals front office would consider such a move, but considering the Cincinnati offence has already floundered its way to just nine points over the course of two home games, no roster decision should be considered out of the question.